Shock and dismay don’t seem to be strong enough words to describe my reaction to the photograph accompanying Tuesday’s lead story (“Body found in Charles River near BU,” April 15, pg. 1). However, in the interest of remaining respectful and decorous, I will leave my reaction at that: shock. And dismay.
As a student in the College of Fine Arts, I had the privilege of becoming acquainted with Dr. John Daverio last year as a freshman in his concert music class. I can’t even describe the amount of pain and upheaval that his absence has caused and will continue to cause. His shoes will certainly not be easy to fill, and it may be years before the School of Music fully recovers from this loss. Your obvious disregard for the legacy that this man leaves behind is disgraceful. The lack of awareness in the entire university community is disgraceful. This man was one of the most highly regarded and respected members of the music community at CFA and an internationally known musicologist. I find it extremely distasteful that, in your pursuit of a sensational front page headline, you have no respect for the memory of this amazing man or the feelings of those who were close to him.
Your disclaimer says that The Daily Free Press feels “[the photo] conveys the importance and immediacy of the story in a way another photo could not.” I beg your pardon, but where was The Daily Free Press when Dr. Daverio was still presumed missing? It was more immediately important to have run pictures of him when he was first reported missing in order to raise public awareness. His picture should have been in The Daily Free Press every single day. This is not an issue that should have been ignored.
Instead, one of Daverio’s stories ran underneath an article about the beginning of the war in Iraq (“CFA professor missing,” March 20, pg. 1). An understandable order, I suppose, since most Boston University students don’t even know what a musicologist is. However, the disappearance of a professor is not an everyday occurrence, as I’m sure you know. This is a delicate issue that deserves to be treated with the utmost respect and reverence. Shame on you, Daily Free Press, for your blatant disregard for the needs of the community and the feelings of those who knew and loved Dr. John Daverio.